Evolving your boudoir photography skills - never stop learning

I have been very fortunate enough to secure the time of the very lovely, talented and renowned portrait photographer and friend Kate Hopewell-Smith (http://www.katehopewellsmith.com), who tirelessly imparts her extensive knowledge of the industry to help other professional photographers like me build their businesses, brands and skills through her mentoring and training services. It is incredible how a fresh pair of eyes on an environment I use all the time to photograph in can refresh and reinvigorate your creative juices, and I was amazed at the different angles, set-ups and lighting opportunities she was able to create in spots that had never inspired me before. A master at her craft she certainly is.

We had an amazing day here at the studio finding new ways to use the rooms to their best advantage for boudoir photography, and also to trial some new lighting equipment (which to you other photographers out there is the Westcott Skylux, used with beauty dish, strip box and grid...very impressive piece of kit, daylight balanced, 30-100% dimmer, extremely versatile and can highly recommend it's use as a complement to natural light). It marks a shift change in how I approach lighting all my boudoir portrait sessions, no longer relying solely on the vagaries of British weather, and hence light, but able to shape and enhance ambient light that feels realistic and natural. On the flip side, I can use the same light on its own to provide much more angular, flattering light that is so well suited to boudoir photography.